India a Subcontinent By Roopa Sreedhar

India is referred to as a subcontinent owing to three important factors.

1. Vastness

2. Diversity

3. Importance

Vastness: India is a very large distinct land mass not just a country. It has all the features of a continent, but it is smaller than a continent. Hence it is referred to as a subcontinent. India is encompassed between the latitudes 8 Degrees 7 Minutes North & 37 Degrees 6 Minutes North & longitudes 68 Degrees 7 Minutes East & 97 Degrees 25 Minutes East. India has an area of 32,87,000 sq kilometres.  India is the 7th largest country in the world. The land area of India is about 2.4% of the total surface area of the world. India is nearly 20 times larger than Great Britain; many states of India are larger than many countries of the world. The distance between the north-most point, in the snow covered Himalayas and the southern tip in Kanyakumari is about 3214 km and is about 1/12 of earth's circumference. The east-west extent of India is about 2933 kms. 

The land frontiers of India covers a length of 15,106 kms. The northern borders with China lies along with the lofty Himalayan ranges. Bhutan & Nepal borders the Northern plains. Western border with Pakistan passes through the low lands. East of India borders with Bangaladesh, Myanmar. The Deccan plateau of India is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Bay of Bengal to the East & Indian Ocean and the country of Sri Lanka to the south. The coastline of India runs a length of 6100 kms. India has 247 Islands, of which 43 including Lakshadweep lie in the Arabian Sea & the rest 204 including Andaman & Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal. 

Owing to its enormous size, India is called a Subcontinent. 

Diversity: India is very diverse in both its Natural formation & its cultural heritage. 

Natural Diversity: India has many types of land forms. These are radically different from each other & include  (i) The Great Mountain of the North, (ii) The Great Plains of the North, (iii) The Peninsular Plateau, (iv) The Coastal region & (v) Islands. 

The Great Mountains of the north include the Himalayas. The many ranges of these Great Mountains that run parallel to each other include the Inner Himalayas, the Trans Himalayas, the Greater Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, the Outer Himalayas or the Shivalik Ranges & the Eastern Himalayas or the Purvanchal in North-East of India. These mountains are home to some of the highest peaks in the world including, highest motorable passes in the world including Khardungla, TangLang La, Chang La etc, some of the largest high altitude lakes viz., Pangong Tso, Tso Morriri etc, Glaciers viz. Siachen Glacier, Drang Drung Glacier. Some of the longest rivers of the world originate in the Himalayas including the Brahmaputra (2900 km), the Indus (2880 km), the Ganga (2525km) etc. The geographical nature of the Himalayas change within every 100 kms distance from evergreen forests, to rocky terrain, to grasslands, to barren landscapes to snow caped peaks. World's second coldest place Drass after Siberia is in the Kashmir region. 

The Peninsular Plateau is made of Igneous rocks & constitutes the Malwa Plateau & the Deccan Plateau. The Malwa Plateau is mainly the sand dunes & desert region of Rajasthan. Deccan Plateau covers almost the entire Southern India. The Peninsular plateau is home to many mountain ranges including the Aravali, the Vindhya, the Satpura, the Western Ghats & the Eastern Ghats. Many important rivers of India including the Godavari, the Krishna, the Narmada, the Cauvery, the Tapti etc originate in the peninsular plateau. 

The Great plains of the north lie between the Northern Mountains & the plateau region. This area is extremely fertile as this is the basin of many important perennial rivers flowing from Himalayas including the Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra. The Coastal area of India is approximately 6100 km & runs from Gujarat in the west to West Bengal & North-Eastern States in the East. The 204 Islands of  Andaman & Nicobar lie in the Bay of Bengal. India’s only active volcano lies in the Barren Island of Andaman. 

The land of India consists of different types of soil including the alluvial soil, the red soil, the desert soil, the mountain soil, the laterite soil. Minerals such as high quality Iron, Manganese, Bauxite, Limestone, Gold etc are found in India. India is home to an astounding number of plant species, animals, birds, insects & organisms. Many types of precious & semi-precious gems are found in India eg., diamonds, emerald, sapphire  garnet, ruby, jade, topaz, pearl, turquoise, etc. Wide variety of exotic coral and marine life exists in the seas & ocean surrounding India. India enjoys different climates from Tropical, Sub-tropical, Arid & dry winters, Desert climate, Mountain climate, Monsoons, to Steppe climates & has all the seasons including the Hot weather (summer), Cold weather (winters), rainy season & the retreating monsoon season. Some parts of India are subjected to extreme weather conditions including  the Loo, the Heat waves & the Cold waves. Owing to the type of soil, the climatic zone & the seasons, India cultivates almost all types of fruits, vegetables & crops available in the world. 

India has the kind of natural richness that can only be seen in a continent, hence India is called  a Subcontinent.

Cultural Diversity: The republic of India is a union of states. It consists of 28 states & 7 Union Territories. India is the second most-populous country in the world with a population of 1.2 Billion. India is also the most-populous & oldest democracy in the world. India is a sovereign, socialist, democratic, republic with a parliamentary system of Government. 

India has many races of people living it in. Negroid, Caucasian, Mongoloids, Australoid were some of the ancient races found here & mixed races of Turko-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Aryan-Dravidian, Seytho Dravidian, Mongolo-Dravidian, Dravidian are found in India.  India is also home to some of the oldest civilizations of the world including the Indus Valley Civilization & the Vedic Civilization. India is home to some of the most ancient Universities of the world including the Nalanda University, the Amaravathi school of art, the Gandhara School of Art etc. Medicine, Surgery, Astronomy, Art, architecture, Science, Metallurgy, Chemistry, Mathematics, languages were taught & practiced from ancient times. Many dynasties including the Kushans, the Mauryas, the Guptas, the Pandyas, Cheras, Cholas, Satavahanas, Saka, Sakyas, Sultanats, Mughals, Chalukyas, Rastrakoota, Rajputs, etc have ruled over India since ancient times.  Religions Hinudism, Buddism, Jainism, Sikhism originate in India, Islam, Christianity & Zoroastrianism that arrived after 10 Century AD & advent of Europeans from 16th Century onward along with Indian religions has shaped and influenced the cultural diversity of India in every aspect of life.

Indian culture experiences a change & difference over every 100 km distance. More than 400 languages are spoken in India, eg., Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Singhi, Bengali etc. People wear different types & styles  of clothing eg., kashmiri dresses, Sarees worn in different styles, Salwars & Kurtas, Dhotis & Lungis etc. Type of food & Cuisines in India also vary significantly based on the region eg Rajasthani, Marwari, Punjabi, Vegetarian, South Indian, North India, Avadhi cuisine, Goan Cuisine etc. There are more than 645 indigenous tribes in India.  This diversity in the population of India has also impacted the literature, music, dance, architecture & art form. Indian literature is enriched with the contributions from every region & period from the Vedic times, Sangam Literature of  Ancient Tamil to the present times eg., Ramayan, Mahabharata, Discovery of India, Akbar Namah, Indica etc. Hindustani & Karnatic classical music form the basis for many different styles of music in India. Dance forms such a Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Kucchupudi, Mohini Attam, Yaksha Gaana, Dholu Kunita, Punjabi Dances, Garbha etc. The style of Weaving &  Painting also changes from region to region and culture to culture producing some of most diverse materials, patterns, & designs of clothing; most beautiful paintings & pottery. Many architectural wonders including palaces, forts, temples, stupas, monasteries, mansions, buildings, reservoirs, mosques etc from ancient times, pre-colonial times, colonial era and the modern times add to the architectural heritage of India. India has 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Taj Mahal is one of the 7 wonders of the world. 

The presence of the immense natural & cultural diversity in one country leads to India being called a Subcontinent. 

Importance: India has been a very important country since ancient times. People from various continents & countries had been searching for India and had undertaken long voyages, sailed many seas,  drafted the  famous silk routes, traveled on camels, horses, mules, crossed mighty Himalayas in a quest to find India. India had trade relationships with Egypt, Sumeria, Arab  & European nations.  Many famous travelers Megasthenes, Fa-hien, Huen Tsang, Suliaman have written about the diversity of India in glowing words. 
Tropic of Cancer, 22 Degree 30 Minutes North Latitude passes at the centre of India. 

Very few countries have lent their names to naming the seas eg., China Sea, Japan Sea etc. India has been so important that an entire Ocean is named after India, the Indian Ocean. 

India is called a subcontinent because of its importance & its contributions to the world.  

Regards,

Roopa Sreedhar 

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